In early 1955, Chevrolet phased-out the “Advance Design” series of trucks which had served them so well since 1947. This series was then replaced with the “Task Force,” and it is from the early days of this new range of trucks that our 1955 Chevrolet 3600 hails. Judging by the photos and description, this is an essentially solid old vehicle that would make a great restoration project. You will find it located in Audubon, Minnesota, and listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding on the Pickup has now reached $1,250, and the reserve hasn’t been met. The owner also provides a BIN option, and this has been set at $2,950.
The new series of trucks from Chevrolet brought with them some new design features that were intended to keep the truck range looking modern. The most obvious of these was the wrap-around windshield, which appears to be in good condition on this vehicle. In fact, all of the glass looks pretty good on this 3600. In addition, the frame also looks solid, and the rust that is present could easily be dealt with using commercially available rust repair patches. These include some spots in the cab floors, the lower fenders, and the steps. I also noticed that it is wearing a “3100” badge on the passenger side fender, which would suggest that the fender may have been replaced at some point. It is hardly surprising that the timber in the bed has rotted away, and the joiner strips are also looking pretty knocked around. Thankfully, replacement strips are easy to source, so this should not be a problem.
Under the hood of the 3600 is a 235ci 6-cylinder engine, which is hooked to a 4-speed manual transmission. This engine only delivered around 112hp, but its great strength lay in the fact that it delivered good torque figures, which made the 3600 a pretty effective vehicle for carting loads. The engine in this Pickup doesn’t run and hasn’t done so for many years. However, it does turn freely, so with a bit of luck, it might just kick into life with minimal work.
One of the attractions of these older pickups, especially when it comes to considering them as restoration projects, is the fact that interior restorations tend to be fairly straightforward. This is even more relevant when the interior is original and unmolested, as this one appears to be. The seat will need a new cover, and the rubber mat on the floor is looking pretty sad. Otherwise, the majority of the rest of the interior consists of painted surfaces, and apart from some surface corrosion, they do appear to be in good condition. In this case, then, it really does look like this is one aspect of the restoration that should be relatively easy.
As a restoration project, this 1966 Chevrolet 3600 Pickup would seem to tick a lot of the right boxes. It looks to be solid and complete, and even the panel rust doesn’t appear to be too extreme. The fact that the engine turns freely is reassuring, and with the ongoing popularity of older pickups today, I think that someone will probably snap this one up pretty quickly.
Finally! This is a great find at a plausible price. It shows, with 21 bids and still only $1200 bucks, tells me, that’s what these trucks really sell for and not the 5 figures some of these crooks are asking. This would be great as is, cleaned up, parts as close as Autoplace, this is the hobby I remember, adjusted slightly for inflation, that is. It takes the great folks of Minnesota to keep it going, not gouge the heck out of you, like some areas,,,
Also, I like looking in the background. Looks like a slew of neat projects.
Your right Rube, seller has a cool 1947 Diamond T for sale also.
A 3/4 Ton Long-Bed in remarkably good condition for its age. Mostly original.
Most parts readily available. Needs a good machine shop and a good body shop, and an equity line on the house.
The short-bed 3100 step-side half-ton trucks sell for more money, but the driving experience will be about the same. This would make a very good ranch truck.
This is a 3100 not a 3600. Which means the left front fender was once changed out from a 3600, badge and all. You can tell that fit on that fender isn’t quite right when you look at the front view, and compare it to the right fender..
Had one of these (short bed) that I picked up for $1000 in ‘79. Third owner. Sold it about 5 years ago for seven times that.
Fun little truck to own. Not so fun to drive though. Had bias ply tires on mine and that thing wandered all over the road!
I love it. I cannot now but man I hope these are around at this price in 5-10 years.
Wow! I want an old pickup but really wanting a Ford. I wonder what the selling price will actually be? When you account for shipping and minor restoration I’d probably be deeper than I’m willing to go.
God bless America
Answer to Greg: We both stand corrected. It’s the 3200 model with 8 bolt axles.
And, yes, it’s had some kind of front fender trade-out.
BTW: Nice to see the reliable 235 c.i. inline-six under the hood. These can’t be made to be race cars. They are too heavy. Putting a V-8 in them is a waste of time.
Hi, Had Two and greg doherty. I thought that it was a 3100 but had my doubts, so I checked this from the supplied VIN. It does show as being a 3600, so I ran with that. Cheers, Adam.